c. 2008 Religion News Service

Church angry over Good Friday betting

LONDON (RNS) Thousands of betting shops across Britain infuriated the Church of England and other religious organizations by opening for the first time on Good Friday (March 21), one of Christianity’s holiest days.

Gamblers flocked into some 4,000 bookmaker premises to lay down their wagers under new government legislation that now permits the bookies to trade every day of the year, except Christmas Day.

In a statement, the Church of England called on betting shops to keep their doors shut Friday _ and insisted that if shops opened anyway, they “undertake to donate a decent portion of their profits” to charities working to check the growth in what it described as “problem gambling.”

Oddly, Good Friday is one of the three days of the year in Britain when no horse racing takes place. But this Good Friday, there was plenty of soccer and dog track activity _ and no shortage of horses running on courses in continental Europe and elsewhere.

The prospect saddened the Rev. Ken Howcroft, a Methodist spokesman, who noted that “ironically, the soldiers who crucified Jesus then gambled for his clothes.

“But Jesus said, `Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”’

_ Al Webb

N.Y. pizzeria serves up `Passion of the Crust’

NEW YORK _ At Goodfella’s Brick Oven Pizza in Staten Island, there is a treat even the most devout could feast on this Good Friday.

A specialty pizza catering to Catholics during Lent features chunks of lobster, crabmeat and shrimp drizzled with a champagne and blackberry brandy cream sauce, tomatoes and scallions, scattered above a layer of homemade fresh mozzarella cheese.

Atop a cheese and coconut-infused 10-inch crust, it’s a slice of heaven.

But some say the name the pie’s creators chose for the pizza, the “Passion of the Crust,” is as sinful as the $15.99 cheesy seafood masterpiece is delicious.

With the play on Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ,” the restaurant’s co-owner, Scot Cosentino, a Scientologist, and executive chef Sal Russo, a Catholic, say they meant no disrespect in their choice of a catchy name.

“We wanted to give everybody a chance to have a special pizza,” Russo explained, adding the pie has been popular since it was introduced at the start of Lent, and especially so on Fridays, when Catholics must abstain from eating meat.

And the name, both said, derives from their passion for pizza, and the special coconut crust.

“We’re very passionate when we describe our pizza to our customers,” Russo said. “They start to drool.”

But though he said the pie “is nothing against the church,” he gestured to the old-fashioned brick oven where the Passion pizza was turning a gooey golden brown and joked that he sometimes sees a heavenly light shining from inside. “If you listen very closely, you can hear the voices of the archangels,” he said.

Russo said pizzeria staff called St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan to try to arrange for an official blessing of the pie, in preparation for his journey to Las Vegas for the International Pizza Challenge. But the archdiocese called back and said the name of the pizza was too controversial, he said.

_ Maura Yates

Mohler recovering from surgery

(RNS) The president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has undergone successful surgery to remove a pre-cancerous colon tumor and is expected to fully recover, the seminary announced.

The Rev. R. Albert Mohler Jr., 48, said the tumor was discovered during a colonoscopy. Surgery was performed Thursday (March 20) in Louisville, where his seminary is based.

As president of the Southern Baptist’s flagship seminary, Mohler is a prominent voice in the 16-million member denomination. He was a candidate for SBC president until he removed himself from consideration after the tumor was discovered in February.

_ Daniel Burke

Quote of the Day: Southern Baptist Convention President Frank Page

(RNS) “Honestly, if we could harness some of the emotion from this and turn it to evangelism and missions, we could see a massive change in our missionary and evangelistic endeavors.”

_ Southern Baptist Convention President Frank Page, commenting on the furor after some Southern Baptists _ including himself _ signed a statement calling for environmental protection. He made his comments in a column for Baptist Press.

KRE DS END RNS